Hua Hua, once desperate, had begged him countless times to let her go. Unfortunately, Master Liu believed that since she was already his woman, begging on the street would be humiliating, making him appear incapable of even supporting a concubine. However, he found her repulsive, especially whenever he saw dirty beggars on the street. It made him feel his eyes must have been blind to have chosen a former beggar as a concubine, always feeling a lingering odor on himself. Thus, Hua Hua remained in despair in the back courtyard of the Liu family, becoming emaciated within just two months.
She clearly felt her life force draining away, knowing that if she didn't find a way to escape, she would die there. So, that night, she quietly went to the woodshed, piled firewood in her room, poured cooking oil onto it, quickly set it ablaze, and hid a short distance away in the courtyard.
Soon, cries of desperation echoed through the courtyard. A cruel smile unconsciously spread across her face. These people were not innocent; hadn't they ganged up to bully her? Today, she would let them perish in the flames. The commotion here immediately attracted the attention of the mansion. Unfortunately, with the wind and the darkness of night, the fire spread with incredible speed, soon engulfing other courtyards.
The people in the mansion were thrown into panic, rushing to extinguish the fire. Even the gatekeepers instinctively joined in. It was during this chaos that Hua Hua secretly slipped out of the Liu family. Walking along the empty streets, she occasionally spotted patrolling figures, her heart in turmoil.
She hadn't contacted Lu Zi and the others for months. She wondered if they were still living in the dilapidated temple. However, she dared not return to the temple now, knowing that the Liu family's fire would soon be put out, and the Master Liu, once he realized what had happened, would definitely search for her at the temple.
She remembered a pile of bamboo poles not far from the alley where she often begged, with a mess of things piled underneath. In the past, she would never have hidden there. But now, overnight, she was once again a penniless beggar, caring nothing about dirt or mess.
Indeed, about two hours later, Hua Hua, roused from a daze by the commotion, woke up instantly.
"Go search the dilapidated temple where she used to live. If you don't find her, drag all those beggars out and beat them severely to see if they'll talk. Where else could she hide?"
"Go search the homes on West Street where she used to beg. I heard they are helping out in other people's shops. Drag them out and interrogate them thoroughly."
"Run towards the city gates and guard them. Don't let her leave the capital."
...
Hua Hua covered her mouth, tears involuntarily falling. She quietly listened to the Liu family steward's orders. She now deeply regretted not listening to Lu Zi in the first place and not easily entering someone else's home. How could she, a mere beggar, possibly survive in such a grand mansion?
She had once naively thought that with her skills and Master Liu's genuine affection, she could survive in the mansion. But after entering, she realized that every concubine had a family behind them to support them when trouble arose. And her? She was just a beggar, easily trampled by anyone.
Ordinarily, the servants wouldn't dare to point fingers at her directly, but she often overheard their whispers behind her back. When they saw her, they immediately became serious. After she left, they would cover their mouths and chuckle. Hua Hua once thought that with the passage of time, she could legitimately become the mistress of the Liu family, but reality told her this was a foolish delusion. One's birth could never be changed.
If only she hadn't betrayed Master Wu, how good it would have been. She heard that her shop's business was even more prosperous, with many ladies and young ladies visiting by reputation. In fact, the money Master Wu gave her was not a small amount. For a young girl like her, who had just entered the outside world, it was a significant income. But greed knows no bounds; now she was reaping what she had sown.
She felt fortunate that Lu Zi had maintained his reason and hadn't acted foolishly like herself. She understood that Lu Zi had treated her like a younger sister. Now that her life was difficult, with no future, she didn't know if she could survive, but she hoped that Lu Zi, that kind older brother, would have a good future.
Finally, she let out a self-deprecating laugh, thinking Lu Zi was much smarter than her. When Master Wu had given him a job back then, he had told them that if Master Wu ever opened other shops, he would strongly recommend them. As long as they followed Master Wu, there would be a bright future. Not to mention, Master Wu was an exceptionally kind person who wouldn't harm them. At the time, she had been dismissive, believing that people were all about mutual exploitation, going wherever there was money to be made, and that they would never follow one person exclusively. However, she hadn't voiced her thoughts then, knowing that beggars were generally not trusted, as people often considered them dishonest and dirty, scaring away customers. This was the first time someone was willing to employ them. She naturally hoped Lu Zi's words were true. As expected, Lu Zi still looked out for her. The first time Master Wu opened the rouge shop, he used his month's wages to buy her a clean set of clothes and brought her before Master Wu.
She had expected Master Wu to look at her with disdain, like those ladies and madams. But to her surprise, he was indeed as kind as Lu Zi had described. Seeing her, he gave her an encouraging smile, tested her a bit, and then taught her the craft of making rouge.
Although their shop later hired another young girl to help, since the latter was only doing odd jobs and she possessed technical skills, the other girl often looked at her with envy. At that time, she felt that if things continued like this, she might find a good husband in the future and live a normal life. If Master Liu hadn't secretly approached her with improper intentions, she would still be helping at the shop, that same innocent and cheerful young girl.
Thinking about these things was useless. It was dark now, and they were unlikely to notice her. Plus, the pile of things here was too messy and cluttered for them to bother searching. But once daylight broke, she wouldn't be able to hide. Where would she go then?
Suddenly, she felt a sense of despair, believing that there was no place in this vast land for her to hide.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Zi heard an urgent knocking and quickly threw on some clothes to open the door. As soon as he opened it, the person barged in like a bandit. He tried to stop them but was forcefully pushed aside. If he hadn't been practicing martial arts recently, he would have definitely fallen.